I used my CB9M Blog to document my years as Chairman and the events that deeply affected us. I am frezzing this blog at midnight December 31st 2007 coincidental with the expiration of my term as Chairman. It was an exiting period, spiritually & morally rewarding. I thank the many friends that I have made during my tenure and look forward to our collaborations in the future. I wil retain this blog as a repository of the history of our community for the last 4 years.
J. Reyes-Montblanc

Monday, December 25, 2006

A construction worker died and two others were injured when the top floors of a 5-story gutted apartment building on West 113th Street collapsed at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Firefighters pulled the two survivors from the rubble and brought them to St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, where they were in stable condition Tuesday evening. Burton Joseph, a 33-year-old African immigrant and Brooklyn resident, was dead when the fire department arrived at the building, which is located at 280 West 113th St. between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Seventh Avenue.

The Neighborhood Partnership Housing Development Fund Company, which owns the building, and the South Harlem Development Corporation were in the process of renovating the building when it collapsed on the workmen.

A wall of the building was loose and in danger of falling, and the scaffolding protecting the sidewalk was "not adequately maintained," according to Department of Buildings' complaint records. Illegal work was being done at the property on the weekends as of Dec. 16, when a complaint was filed with the department.

The building also violated city health codes numerous times, according to Department of Housing Preservation and Development records.

Joseph was supporting a child, said his cousin Nesta Felix, who visited the scene in the evening. Felix said Joseph's mother had been contacted, but she said, "I don't think it's really hit her yet."

The owner of the building and the construction company working on the project could not be reached for comment.Check www.columbiaspectator.com for updates on this developing story.